TikTok sues Montana over ban

TikTok sues Montana over ban
# 23 May 2023 03:09 (UTC +04:00)

TikTok filed a complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief in the US District Court for the District of Montana, naming Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen as the defendant, APA reports citing Sputnik.

"This action seeks to prevent the State of Montana from unlawfully banning TikTok, a short-form video sharing platform that empowers hundreds of thousands of users in Montana to communicate and express themselves, primarily through creating, sharing, and interacting with short-form videos," the filing said.

Earlier this month, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed a bill from the state’s legislature that bans companies from allowing TikTok to be downloaded off their application stores in Montana. The ban is set to take effect January 1, 2024.

The legislation comes amid other efforts across the United States to restrict the use of TikTok amid privacy concerns linked to TikTok’s ties to China-based parent company ByteDance.

Montana’s ban violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of speech, the filing states, adding the ban is based on "nothing more than unfounded speculation" regarding the app’s ties to China.

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THE OPERATION IS BEING PERFORMED